• In the Spotlight: Share your expertise with Burlington
• Free ICLEI Webinars: Understanding CACP and green computer purchases
  
• Lessons From Beijing: What local governments can learn from the Olympic hosts's environmental efforts
  
• News and Ideas: ICLEI members tackle congestion pricing, building standards, and green purchasing

Share With ICLEI Members Your Experience on Renewable Energy

Is your local government considering a renewable energy financing mechanism, similar to the one enacted recently in Berkeley, California? If so, please consider sharing ideas and experience with your colleagues in Burlington, Vermont, and around the nation.

"We'd like to tap into the ICLEI network to identify other municipalities wrestling with the ins and outs of creating a sustainable energy financing mechanism--one secured through a loan on real estate, like a property tax," says Sandrine Thibault, with the City of Burlington. "We know there are other cities out there considering this and similar models, and we'd like to hear about their lessons learned and brainstorm together on possible scenarios."

To respond to this inquiry, just send an e-mail to enewsletter-usa@iclei.org, and we will compile all messages and forward a response to the City of Burlington and any other interested parties.

The next webinar training for ICLEI's Clean Air and Climate Protection (CACP) software is coming soon. If you need an introduction to CACP to complete your greenhouse gas emissions inventories, find out of you're eligible and register for Session 1 on August 27 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., EST, and Session 2 on August 28 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., EST.

Join ICLEI on September 11 at 1 p.m., EST, for a teleconference on how and why you can use the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)--an environmental performance standard for desktops, monitors, and notebook computers that can help local governments achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals. Register now!

In case you haven't been following the news, Beijing's expansive efforts to transform its poor air quality during the Olympic Games has international scientists eagerly following this massive experiment to see how it will unfold. Local governments--no matter what their size--can also learn the following lessons from these large-scale environmental efforts:

• Climate protection can't wait. Beijing is an unfortunate example of a "develop first, clean up later" approach to city planning. With global warming on the horizon, your community can't wait for sunnier economic times (or big-ticket events) to implement plans such as creating more energy-efficient buildings--especially when these measures save so much money.
• Change starts with political will. Beijing has done so much in so little time because local and national leaders pushed hard for action. In the same way, every city and town's climate protection plan needs a champion to succeed.
  
• Green looks good. Keep in mind that these days, nothing attracts major events or corporate investment like a local government's commitment to sustainability--just ask Chattanooga, the city Volkswagen chose for its $1 billion plant, thanks to shared environmental values. And Chicago is a frontrunner to host the 2016 Olympics, in part because of its plan to run a carbon-neutral event with help from ICLEI and its partners.
• Meaningful change takes time. Beijing's approach--temporary measures such as closing factories and taking cars off the road--contrasts sharply with Chicago's, where planners understand that a green Games takes years, not weeks, to achieve. Chicago has adopted long-term, innovative strategies that will pay dividends long after the closing ceremonies.